Maha Yahya
Over the last 15 years, the Middle East has been racked by war, destruction, and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of people have died as fighting raged in Gaza, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Millions more have fled. The violence has rolled back gains in education, health, and income while laying waste to homes, schools, hospitals, roads, railways, and power grids. The war in Gaza has proved especially devastating, setting back the territory’s socioeconomic indicators to 1955 levels. The World Bank and UN organizations have estimated that rebuilding the Middle East and providing enough humanitarian aid will cost between $350 and $650 billion. The UN Development Program has estimated that at least $40 to $50 billion is needed to rebuild Gaza alone.
Offering these shattered societies humanitarian and monetary assistance is critical for the survival of millions, especially in the near term. It is thus deeply concerning that multiple Western governments, including Washington, are curtailing foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. But ultimately, the main obstacle to the Arab world’s reconstruction will not be the lack of funds. It will be political disputes and grievances. The region is filled with failing states. It features competing powers that work to leverage this chaos to their geopolitical advantage. Together, these problems make permanent peace impossible.
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